Outdoor unit

ABSTRACT

An outdoor unit includes a housing, a heat exchanger provided inside the housing to exchange heat between refrigerant and a heat medium, and a valve provided inside the housing and connected to the heat exchanger by a pipe, in which a lower end of the heat exchanger is positioned above a connection unit configured to connect the valve and the pipe.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an outdoor unit including a heat exchanger to exchange heat between refrigerant and a heat medium.

BACKGROUND ART

An outdoor unit in which a fan is provided on an upper portion of a housing and a heat exchanger is provided on a side surface of the housing has been known. The outdoor unit is of a top-blow type in which air introduced from the side surface of the housing is blown upward after the air passes through the heat exchanger. An outdoor unit is desired to be downsized with the heat exchange capacity maintained or to increase the heat exchange capacity with the size maintained. Patent Literature 1 discloses an outdoor unit in which, a heat exchanger is installed to, of four side surfaces of a housing having a rectangular tubular shape, a range except for one corner portion. In Patent Literature 1, components are brought out from the corner portion where the heat exchanger is not installed, to carry out work, such as maintenance.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent No. 5786877

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, in the outdoor unit disclosed by Patent Literature 1, for improving workability, the heat exchanger is not installed at a corner portion of the housing having the rectangular tubular shape. Consequently, the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger is reduced.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and to provide an outdoor unit capable of improving heat exchange capacity of a heat exchanger while keeping workability.

Solution to Problem

An outdoor unit of one embodiment of the present invention includes a housing, a heat exchanger provided inside the housing to exchange heat between refrigerant and a heat medium, and a valve provided inside the housing and connected to the heat exchanger by a pipe, in which a lower end of the heat exchanger is positioned above a connection unit configured to connect the valve and the pipe.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the lower end of the heat exchanger is positioned above the connection unit configured to connect the valve and the pipe. In this manner, as long as a space necessary for work is secured, disposition of the heat exchanger is not limited. Consequently, it is possible to improve the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger while the workability is kept.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an air-conditioning apparatus 3 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between a distance from a fan 15 to a heat exchanger 14 and a wind speed of air passing through the heat exchanger 14 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an outdoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a top view of an outdoor unit 200 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1

Hereinafter, embodiments of an outdoor unit according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an air-conditioning apparatus 3 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The air-conditioning apparatus 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the air-conditioning apparatus 3 includes an outdoor unit 1 and an indoor unit 2. FIG. 1 exemplifies two indoor units 2; however, the number of the indoor units 2 may be one or three or more.

The outdoor unit 1 includes a compressor 12, a flow path switching device 13, a heat exchanger 14, a fan 15, an accumulator 16, and an electrical component case 17. The compressor 12 compresses refrigerant. The flow path switching device 13 switches the flow direction of the refrigerant, and is, for example, a four-way valve. The heat exchanger 14 exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air that is a heat medium, and is, for example, a fin and tube heat exchanger. The fan 15 sends the outdoor air, which is the heat medium, to the heat exchanger 14. The accumulator 16 accumulates surplus refrigerant. The electrical component case 17 contains an inverter or other component to control operations of the compressor 12, the fan 15, or other component.

Each of the two indoor units 2 includes an expansion unit 21, an indoor heat exchanger 22, and an indoor fan 23. The expansion unit 21 expands the refrigerant and reduces the pressure of the refrigerant. The indoor heat exchanger 22 exchanges heat between the refrigerant and indoor air. The indoor fan 23 sends the indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger 22.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a side view of the outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a top view of the outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Next, the outdoor unit 1 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the outdoor unit 1 includes a housing 11. The housing 11 has, for example, a rectangular tubular shape, and a bottom surface 11 a serving as a base is placed on a floor. The heat exchanger 14 is provided to four side surfaces of the inside of the housing 11. The heat exchanger 14 is, in a top view, composed of two L-shaped plates, a first plate 14 a and a second plate 14 b, and is of a four-sided suction type. Note that the heat exchanger 14 is not limited to the L-shaped two plates, and may be a single plate having a rectangular shape in a top view, or a single plate having a U shape in a top view and a single plate having a linear shape in a top view.

The flow path switching device 13, which is a four-way valve, is provided with four connection units 13 a each connected to a pipe (not shown). The flow path switching device 13 and the pipes are connected by brazing. In Embodiment 1, a lower end 14 c of the heat exchanger 14 is positioned above the connection units 13 a. Note that the outdoor unit 1 may include, as a refrigerant circuit component, a solenoid valve, a check valve, or a two-way valve, other than the flow path switching device 13.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The compressor 12 is placed on the bottom surface 11 a inside the housing 11. The compressor 12 includes a suction pipe 12 a configured to suck the refrigerant and a discharge pipe 12 b configured to discharge the refrigerant that each are connected to a pipe (not shown). As shown in FIG. 5, in Embodiment 1, the lower end 14 c of the heat exchanger 14 is positioned above an upper end 12 c of the compressor 12 when the compressor 12 is inclined at 45 degrees. Note that a margin may be appropriately provided between the lower end 14 c of the heat exchanger 14 and the upper end 12 c of the compressor 12 when the compressor 12 is inclined at 45 degrees.

In this manner, the heat exchanger 14 is not provided at the lowermost portion of the housing 11, and on the four side surfaces of the housing 11, the lower portion of the heat exchanger 14 is opened. Note that the electrical component case 17 is installed at a lower portion on two side surfaces of the housing 11. Consequently, of the four side surfaces of the housing 11, the remaining two side surfaces on which the electrical component case 17 is not installed are opened. The opened two side surfaces serve as a space to access the inside of the housing 11 from the outside. Note that the valve, such as the flow path switching device 13, is disposed in the vicinity of the space to access the inside. The valve requires to be replaced due to aging deterioration. As the valve is disposed in the vicinity of the space to access the inside, work of replacing the valve is carried out easily.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between a distance from the fan 15 and a wind speed of air passing through the heat exchanger 14 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis shows the distance from the fan 15 to the heat exchanger 14 and the vertical axis shows the wind speed of the air passing through the heat exchanger 14. At the upper portion of the housing 11, there is provided a bell mouth 15 a having a cylinder shape and serving as a discharge port for discharging air from the inside of the housing 11. The fan 15 is provided inside the bell mouth 15 a at the upper portion of the housing 11. As shown in FIG. 6, as the heat exchanger 14 is closer to the fan 15, the wind speed of the air passing through the heat exchanger 14 is increased, and thereby the heat exchange capacity is improved. As described above, the heat exchanger 14 is not provided at the lowermost portion of the housing 11, and is provided on the upper portion of the housing 11. In other words, the heat exchanger 14 is installed at a position close to the fan 15.

Next, operations of the air-conditioning apparatus 3 will be described. First, a cooling operation will be described. Refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 12, compressed by the compressor 12, to be discharged in a gas state of high temperature and high pressure. The discharged refrigerant passes through the flow path switching device 13 and flows into the heat exchanger 14. The refrigerant flowing into the heat exchanger 14 is subjected to heat exchange with outdoor air, which is the heat medium, to be condensed. The condensed refrigerant flows into the expansion unit 21 of each indoor unit 2, to be expanded and subjected to pressure reduction by the expansion unit 21. The refrigerant subjected to pressure reduction flows into the indoor heat exchanger 22. The refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 22 is subjected to heat exchange with indoor air, to be evaporated. At this time, the indoor air is cooled, and the indoor space is cooled. Subsequently, the evaporated refrigerant passes through the flow path switching device 13 and flows into the accumulator 16, to be sucked into the compressor 12.

Next, a heating operation will be described. Refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 12, compressed by the compressor 12, to be discharged in a gas state of high temperature and high pressure. The discharged refrigerant passes through the flow path switching device 13 and flows into the indoor heat exchanger 22 in each indoor unit 2. The refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 22 is subjected to heat exchange with indoor air, to be condensed. At this time, the indoor air is heated, and thereby the indoor space is heated. The condensed refrigerant flows into the expansion unit 21, to be expanded and subjected to pressure reduction by the expansion unit 21. The refrigerant subjected to pressure reduction flows into the heat exchanger 14. The refrigerant flowing into the heat exchanger 14 is subjected to heat exchange with outdoor air, which is the heat medium, to be evaporated. Subsequently, the evaporated refrigerant passes through the flow path switching device 13 and flows into the accumulator 16, to be sucked into the compressor 12.

According to Embodiment 1, the lower end 14 c of the heat exchanger 14 is positioned above the connection units 13 a configured to connect the valve and the pipes. In this manner, as long as a space necessary for work is secured, disposition of the heat exchanger 14 is not limited. Consequently, as long as the connection units 13 a can be exposed, it is possible that the heat exchanger 14 occupies the other space. Consequently, it is possible to improve the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger 14 while the workability is kept. Moreover, as the lower end 14 c of the heat exchanger 14 is positioned above the connection units 13 a, the valve can be replaced easily when the valve is out of order or in malfunction.

In addition, the compressor 12 placed on the bottom surface 11 a inside the housing 11 and compressing the refrigerant is further included, and the lower end 14 c of the heat exchanger 14 is positioned above the upper end 12 c of the compressor 12 when the compressor 12 is inclined at 45 degrees. When the compressor 12 is to be replaced, by inclining the compressor 12 at 45 degrees, the compressor 12 can be drawn out of the inside of the housing 11. By drawing out the compressor 12 when the compressor 12 is inclined at 45 degrees, it is possible to secure safety in replacement work. Note that, when the compressor 12 and pipes are brazed, after the brazes are removed, the compressor 12 can be inclined to be drawn out of the housing 11.

Further, the valve and the pipes are connected by brazing. Here, as the connection units 13 a are exposed from the heat exchanger 14, brazed portions are also exposed from the heat exchanger 14. Consequently, it is possible to directly apply brazes and directly remove the brazes, from the outside of the housing 11.

Still further, the fan 15 provided to the upper portion of the housing 11 and configured to send the heat medium to the heat exchanger 14 is also included. As described above, the heat exchanger 14 is not provided at the lowermost portion of the housing 11, and is provided on the upper portion of the housing 11. In other words, the heat exchanger 14 is installed at a position close to the fan 15. Here, as the heat exchanger 14 is closer to the fan 15, the wind speed of the air passing through the heat exchanger 14 is increased, and thereby the heat exchange capacity is improved. Consequently, the heat exchange capacity in Embodiment 1 is high.

The housing 11 has the rectangular tubular shape, and the heat exchanger 14 is provided to the four side surfaces of the housing 11. In a conventional outdoor unit, it has been desired to be downsized while the heat exchange capacity is maintained or to increase the heat exchange capacity while the size is maintained. Consequently, when the housing of the outdoor unit has the rectangular tubular shape, it has been desired that the heat exchanger is disposed, not only to three side surfaces, but to all of the four side surfaces. However, when the installation area of the heat exchanger is enlarged, the area of the opening part of the housing is reduced accordingly. Consequently, it is difficult to secure the space to access the inside of the housing for maintenance or other purposes. To the contrary, in Embodiment 1, as long as the connection units 13 a can be exposed, it is possible that the heat exchanger 14 occupies the other space. Consequently, it is possible to improve the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger 14 while the workability in maintenance or other purposes is kept.

Moreover, in a top view, the heat exchanger 14 is composed of the L-shaped first plate 14 a and the L-shaped second plate 14 b. When the housing 11 has the rectangular tubular shape as described above, as the heat exchanger is disposed to all of the four side surfaces, the heat exchange capacity is high.

Embodiment 2

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an outdoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Embodiment 2 is different from Embodiment 1 in the point that a suction pipe 112 a and a discharge pipe 112 b of a compressor 112 are flexible pipes. In Embodiment 2, the same portions as those in Embodiment 1 are assigned with the same reference signs and description of the portions will be omitted, to provide description by focusing on portions different from Embodiment 1.

As shown in FIG. 7, the compressor 112 includes the suction pipe 112 a configured to suck the refrigerant and the discharge pipe 112 b configured to discharge the refrigerant, and the suction pipe 112 a or the discharge pipe 112 b is a flexible pipe. This configuration makes it possible, when the compressor 112 is to be replaced, to incline the compressor 112 to draw the compressor 112 out of the housing 11 without removing the brazes used for connecting the pipes. Subsequently, the brazes are removed. In this manner, as it is unnecessary to remove the brazes inside the housing 11, the compressor 112 can be replaced with more ease. Note that it may be possible that at least one of the suction pipe 112 a and the discharge pipe 112 b is the flexible pipe.

Embodiment 3

FIG. 8 is a top view of an outdoor unit 200 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Embodiment 3 is different from Embodiment 1 in the point that a heat exchanger 214 is composed of a single plate having a U shape in a top view and a single plate having a linear shape in a top view. In Embodiment 3, the same portions as those in Embodiment 1 are assigned with the same reference signs and description of the portions will be omitted, to provide description by focusing on portions different from Embodiment 1.

As shown in FIG. 8, the heat exchanger 214 is composed of a single first plate 214 a having a U shape in a top view and a single second plate 214 b having a linear shape in a top view. The height of the second plate 214 b is two thirds of the height of the first plate 214 a. Note that an upper end of the second plate 214 b and an upper end of the first plate 214 a are at the same height. In other words, a lower end of the second plate 214 b is positioned higher than a lower end of the first plate 214 a. This configuration makes it possible to further improve accessibility to the inside of the housing 11.

Note that it may be possible to arrange the first plates 214 a in two rows and the second plates 214 b in three rows. By making the number of rows of the second plates 214 b larger than the number of rows of the first plates 214 a in this manner, it is possible to compensate reduction of the heat exchange capacity corresponding to the lowered height of the second plates 214 b. Further, it may be possible to form a tube of the first plate 214 a into a circular tube and a tube of the second plate 214 b into a flat tube. This configuration also makes it possible to compensate reduction of the heat exchange capacity corresponding to the lowered height of the second plate 214 b. As described above, the heat exchanger 214 is a fin-and-tube heat exchanger and, when the tube of one of the first plate 214 a and the second plate 214 b is composed of the circular tube and the tube of the other one of the first plate 214 a and the second plate 214 b is composed of the flat tube, reduction of the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger 214 can be suppressed.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1 outdoor unit 2 indoor unit 3 air-conditioning apparatus 11 housing 11 a bottom surface 12 compressor 12 a suction pipe 12 b discharge pipe 12 c upper end 13 flow path switching device 13 a connection unit 14 heat exchanger 14 a first plate 14 b second plate

14 c lower end 15 fan 15 a bell mouth 16 accumulator 17 electrical component case 21 expansion unit 22 indoor heat exchanger

23 indoor fan 100 outdoor unit 112 compressor 112 a suction pipe

112 b discharge pipe 200 outdoor unit 214 heat exchanger 214 a first plate 214 b second plate 

1. An outdoor unit comprising: a housing; a heat exchanger provided inside the housing to exchange heat between refrigerant and a heat medium; a valve provided inside the housing and connected to the heat exchanger by a pipe; and a compressor placed on a bottom surface inside the housing and configured to compress refrigerant, a lower end of the heat exchanger being positioned above a connection unit configured to connect the valve and the pipe and being positioned above an upper end of the compressor when the compressor is inclined at 45 degrees.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The outdoor unit of claim 1, wherein the compressor includes a suction pipe configured to suck refrigerant, and a discharge pipe configured to discharge refrigerant, wherein the suction pipe or the discharge pipe is a flexible pipe.
 4. The outdoor unit of claim 1, wherein the valve and the pipe are connected by brazing.
 5. The outdoor unit of claim 1, further comprising a fan provided to an upper portion of the housing and configured to send a heat medium to the heat exchanger.
 6. The outdoor unit of claim 1, wherein the housing has a rectangular tubular shape, and the heat exchanger is provided to four side surfaces of the housing.
 7. The outdoor unit of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is composed of a first plate having an L shape and a second plate having an L shape in a top view.
 8. The outdoor unit of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is composed of a first plate having a U shape and a second plate having a linear shape in a top view.
 9. The outdoor unit of claim 7, wherein the heat exchanger is a fin-and-tube heat exchanger, and a tube of one of the first plate and the second plate is composed of a circular tube and a tube of an other one of the first plate and the second plate is composed of a flat tube.
 10. The outdoor unit of claim 8, wherein a number of rows of the second plates is larger than a number of rows of the first plates. 